Echoes Fade Away
by vicky1992
Summary: If he closed his eyes, he could still feel her there, his memories were fresh in his mind as the day they'd happened.


He closed his eyes, a rush of memories flooded through his mind.

"_Teach me." She said, looking at him with wide eager eyes. "Come on, am I really so bad?" As soon as she'd said those words to him, he knew he couldn't resist. He'd been holding back all day, promising himself he wouldn't touch Little Grey. She was his best friend's sister in law – she was forbidden; that only made her all the more desirable to him. He'd stopped himself but here she was, in his apartment, undressing. The older man knew nothing but the fact that he wanted her more than he wanted anything, and the words, "No, I am." escaped his lips. His lips met hers in a crushing kiss, he felt the rush of exhilaration soaring through his body. His hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer to him. She met his passion fiercely, mimicking his movements, never stopping for breath. The two were entwined, and from this moment onwards, each was lost in the other's embrace._

The grey haired man sighed, tears coming unbidden to his eyes.

_He'd just mentioned that Callie was pregnant and he could see the realisation dawning in her eyes. His own eyes softened, he knew how much pain she would be in. He couldn't help her, he wanted to explain, to have the chance to make things right, but as soon as she spoke, he knew he wouldn't get the opportunity. "How the hell did you get me in this position twice?" The hurt written all over her face said more to him than those words did, and he simply looked down and let her leave. Standing in the silence alone in his apartment, he didn't move, as he tried to hold onto the memory of when they were last happy._

He looked over at the photo on the mantelpiece. The two of them; he was cradling Sofia, and she had Jason in her arms. A happy family at last.

_He'd invited her to Joe's knowing that he was deceiving her and playing off of the feelings he knew she still had for him. He didn't care, he wanted to get her back. Seeing her standing in front of him made his heart skip a beat, she was perfect. The long brown hair, the soft, delicate features, and those big beautiful eyes. He didn't even hear her words, how she mentioned that they were not in the same place, and that nothing had changed; none of that mattered. His hand cradled her chin softly, tilting her head and bringing her lips up to meet his. His other hand twisted in her hair, not letting her escape the kiss. As she kissed him back, he smiled softly, but inside he was beaming. They both came up for air, and wordlessly looked at each other before initiating a further kiss._

She'd been so reluctant to have kids after all the drama with Sloane and Sofia, but eventually she'd warmed to the idea. He'd thought she had been the perfect mother – she'd had such a big heart.

_They'd been happy until she'd arrived. Sloane had taken everything from the two of them, but he'd been fine with it all – she was his daughter, he had responsibilities, and that was why he'd stepped up and said he'd take her kid and look after it. He hadn't even thought that she would disagree, after all she loved him right? But looking in her eyes as he tried to explain, he could see her anger at him. It was simple, he had to be a dad first and foremost, being a boyfriend came second to that. Which was why he would choose Sloane first. "I think our relationship just ended." Hearing those words, he looked down, he could almost feel his heart breaking. The kiss before she left brought his hand to his lips as he touched the place where he'd last felt her, reeling. What now?_

They'd been so proud at Sofia's graduation, and then Jason's, and then their weddings and their first grandkids. Time had passed faster than ever when they were together.

_They'd both moved on, both had had other relationships, but their hearts hadn't quite been in it. Her dad had come into the ER, his liver was failing once again, he hadn't managed to keep on the program. Meredith was no help – she had walked away from her father again, and he could see how she was breaking inside. Her boyfriend wasn't there, he didn't understand her like he should have. He came to her help, picking up her broken shell and nursing her. When her dad finally died, she came to him for comfort; he cradled her in his arms, just being there if she needed him. Time passed and everyone else was stripped away, it was just the two of them – no one else mattered.  
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Now she was gone, and he was left alone. The machine on his right bleeped regularly, mimicking his heart beats. __

_The final diagnosis had broken his heart. Just one month to live, the doctor had said. Cancer, the big C, it was expected at their age but they had never thought it would happen to her. He held her hand as she cried over the news. The month passed swiftly; first, denial, they lived their lives as if nothing was wrong, but then she got sicker. She had to go into hospital full time. He was there everyday, even when she was asleep. He watched her, she was peaceful. The day came at last, they didn't know it would be that day. They were sitting in silence, just the sound of machines, and her heart gave out. Tears flooded from his eyes as he buried his head in her stomach, saying his last goodbyes to his wife of fifty three years. She was gone from him. His angel. His beautiful, perfect Lexie._

A long, continued beep was emitted from the machine, and a straight line crossed the monitor.


End file.
